Poinsettia Care After Christmas: Keep It and Rebloom It

Keep it, or let it go?

Both are fine. Iowa State University Extension says poinsettias are meant as temporary plants and suggests composting one once it looks tired, and calls reflowering a challenge for gardeners who enjoy one. NC State Extension says bringing the color back takes a lot of effort and a healthy plant. Texas A&M AgriLife’s Bill McKinley says that with proper care a poinsettia can last for years and bloom each holiday season.

If you keep it, keep giving it the holiday care through winter: a bright window, steady warmth, and water when the surface is dry (Iowa State). Utah State University Extension says it grows as a houseplant past Christmas if it gets enough light.

Late winter and spring: cut back and repot

The sources agree on cutting back hard and disagree on when.

• Texas A&M: prune halfway up the main stem soon after the holidays and move it to a larger pot.
• Minnesota: on Valentine’s Day, cut a long, leggy plant back to about five inches tall; on St. Patrick’s Day, remove faded parts, clear leaves off the soil and top up the potting soil if roots show.
• Iowa State: in March, cut the stems back to 4 to 6 inches above the soil, and repot if you like.
• NC State, Clay County: around April, cut back to about 4 to 6 inches and repot if needed, one pot size larger.

Feeding starts with growth. University of Minnesota Extension feeds once new growth shows; Iowa State uses a dilute fertilizer every 2 weeks; Utah State feeds from March through September. UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions says not to feed an indoor poinsettia until you are ready to move it outside.

New Mexico State University Extension adds an option for a plant that lost its leaves: keep it cool and nearly dry to rest it, then prune to 3 to 6 inches of stem, move it into bright light, and water a little more when you want it to grow.

More on poinsettias

• Poinsettia care — light, water, feeding, leaf color, repotting, and when a pot goes outside in your zone
• How to Water a Poinsettia, and How Often
• Why Is My Poinsettia Dropping Leaves?
• Poinsettia Care After Christmas: Keep It and Rebloom It — this page
• Poinsettia Tree Care: Keeping a Tree-Form Poinsettia
• Growing Poinsettias Outdoors by Zone (Zones 9–11)
• ZIP code zone finder — your exact USDA zone, to read the tables on these pages against

Summer: outdoors and pinching

Iowa State moves the plant outdoors in late May, after a week or so of gradually getting it used to direct sun, and sinks the pot in a spot with 6 to 8 hours of sun. Minnesota puts it outside around Father’s Day in indirect light, then into full sun around the Fourth of July. NC State in Clay County keeps it in partial shade outside from late May, after the last frost, through September. For the dates in your zone, see growing poinsettias outdoors by zone.

Pinching keeps it bushy. Iowa State pinches or cuts off the shoot tips once or twice from late June to mid-August; Minnesota trims two to three inches around Memorial Day and again around the Fourth of July; New Mexico State pinches the tips when stems reach 6 to 8 inches. Texas A&M sets the deadline: stop pinching in July, or there will be no flowers.

Fall: the long nights

The poinsettia is a short-day plant: Iowa State explains that it grows leaves through the long days of summer and sets flowers when the days shorten in fall. Indoors, a lamp or a streetlight can make every night short. UF/IFAS says artificial light at night in fall can delay or completely prevent flowering. So the plant needs nights that are long and completely dark.

Minnesota says that during the dark period the plant cannot get even the slightest light at any time, and to turn it daily in the light so every side grows evenly. Keep watering, and feed at a reduced rate (Minnesota) or every 2 weeks (Iowa State). At Thanksgiving, Minnesota ends the dark treatment and moves the plant to a sunny spot with at least six hours of direct light, with less water and fertilizer. Texas A&M says it should be in full color by Christmas.

Common mistakes

• A lamp in the room at night in fall. UF/IFAS says it can stop the bracts coloring entirely.
• Peeking during the dark period. Minnesota says not even the slightest light.
• Pinching after July. Texas A&M says there will be no flowers.
• Feeding a resting plant. Minnesota and UF/IFAS start feeding with new growth, not before.
• Leaving it out too late. Iowa State brings it in by mid-September, and Minnesota says freezing kills the plant.

We found no Clemson or LSU AgCenter source on reblooming poinsettias that we could read.